Origin
by livvyyygraceR5
Summary: Ally, genetically engineered to be perfect. Immortal. Not a day in her life has she ever thought of anything but science, and learning the secret of her existence. But all it takes is one day of curiosity to mess up everything she's worked for. She meets Austin, a boy native to the jungle, and she must decide between love and immortality, while facing many obstacles along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, I'm back with a brand new story! I really think you guys are going to like this one because I based it all off a book at that I just recently read. The book was called 'Origin' as well and it was written by Jessica Khoury. If you haven't read it, you TOTALLY should cause its amazing. This first chapter is fairly long cause I had to include a lot of stuff so it's less confusing. Hopefully you get hooked the way I did when I read the original book. Read and be sure to review! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally. I don't own 'Origin'. All credits of the story belong to Jessica Khoury. I only changed the characters a little to match Austin & Ally. Everything else I don't own. **

**...**

_**ALLY'S POV**_

I was told that the day I was born, Uncle Preston held me against his white lab coat and whispered, "She is perfect.". Sixteen years later, they're still repeating it. Every day I hear it, whether it's from the scientists, guards, or my own mother. Perfect.

They say other things too. That there are no others like me, at least not yet. That I'm the pinnacle of humankind, a goddess born of mortal flesh. You are immortal Ally, and you are perfect, they say.

But as I follow Uncle Preston to the laboratory, my bootlaces dragging in the mud as I clutch a struggling bird, the last thing I feel is perfect.

I live in a scientific laboratory compound, called Little Cambridge, or Little Cam, in the middle of a restless jungle. I've been here all my life. I was born here, and my mother raised me in the lab so I could be transformed into an immortal. I still have all the same thoughts, feelings and knowledge of any other person, I just can't die. I don't know how it works or what they did to get me this way, but that's what I'm here to learn. I must stay here with these scientists, pass a series of different tests, then I can join the Immortis team. They are the ones who created the formula for immortality. If I join the team, I obtain the formula and we will begin to create others like me. Other immortals. It's always been my life goal. Ever since I was as young as four, I've been taking these tests, studying endless information, all to prepare me for the Immortis team.

Today is a testing day. They are called Wickham tests, and they only come every few months, often by surprise. I hardly ever know what purpose the tests serve, but I do as Uncle Preston says, in hopes of joining Immortis. When I awoke in my glass-walled bedroom this morning, I expected the usual. Reciting genus and species lists to Uncle Antonio, comparing algae specimens under microscopes with Uncle Jacob, possibly followed by a swim in my pool. But instead, I was greeted by my mother who informed me that Uncle Preston had decided to hold a test today. She left in a breeze, leaving me scrambling to get ready. Hardly ten minutes later, here I am.

The bird fights in my hands relentlessly, scratching my palms with his tiny talons and snapping at my fingertips with his beak. It does no good. His claws are strong enough to break the skin, just not my skin. That's probably why Uncle Preston told me to carry the bird instead of himself.

Though there is no pain inflicted on me, my heart is fluttering more than the bird's. My last test was four months ago. This is my first test with a live animal. God knows what Preston has in mind, considering his tests can sometimes be dangerous. I look down at the bird wondering what's in store for him.

I suddenly feel apologetic towards the bird. I want to let him fly away. Free as a bird should be. But instead I shake the thought and hold tighter, in assurance that I won't disappoint Uncle Preston.

We arrive in a building labeled B-Labs. There is a building labeled A-Labs, but apparently the inside was destroyed in a fire long ago, so I've never been in it.

"Put subject 557 inside that cage." Uncle Preston instructs.

I notice the small metal wired cage on the table which he must be referring to. I open the latch, letting the bird loose in the cage, then quickly latch back the door. The bird throws himself at the metal gate, then lands on the bottom, wings spread awkwardly around him. After a moment, he launches up again, beating his wings determinedly against his captivity. I then notice wires connected to the cage that lead back to a generator under the table.

"All right Ally," he says as his pen scratches furiously at his clipboard. "Take a seat. Did you bring a pen?"

I nod and ask what exactly I'm supposed to be doing. Though I'm smart, I haven't the slightest idea what's going on. He tells me to take notes and examine the birds behavior to see if it can handle the stress of the situation he's about to be put in. My mind connects the dots. Those wires carry an electric current to the cage. The cage will be electrified, and I must sit and observe the bird while he mindlessly flies into it. Uncle Preston then tells me that a serum called E-13 will be injected into the bird. After the bird is exhausted, the serum should kick in and give the bird a surge of sudden energy. I nod as he begins the test.

He flicks the switch on the generator, and the bird who had ended up gripping the side of cage with his talons, jerks backwards and shrieks as the electricity reaches him. I immediately get uncomfortable and feel nauseated. But I dare not let Uncle Preston see. He isn't here to observe the bird. He's here to observe me to see if I can handle the test, if I can't, then I fail which slows my progress to the Immortis team. I force myself to write down notes about the bird and it's reactions.

The bird becomes weary and my ears catch every snap and sizzle of electricity. Each shock to the bird is like a shock to me. I feel my heart lurching to help the bird and switch the generator off, wondering how this test is relevant. But I never question Preston's work, and I know that these tests gauge whether or not I'm ready to be a full time scientist. Whether I'm ready for the secrets of my own existence. Once I prove I'm one of them, my real work can begin: creating others like me. And that's everything to me. I am the first and only of my kind, and I've been the first and only for sixteen years. Now there's only one thing I want. Someone else who knows. Knows what it is never to bleed. Knows what it is to look ahead and see eternity. Knows what it is to be surrounded by faces that you love, faces that will one day stop breathing and start to decay while your own will remain frozen outside of time.

None of them know. They think they can understand. But all they really know is what they can observe, such as how fast I can run or how quickly bruises on my skin can fade. When it comes to the hidden part of me, the inner, untouchable Ally, all they can really know is that I'm different. They can't possibly imagine how much.

Suddenly the E-13 serum must take effect because the bird takes off again with a sudden hidden energy. I note every move, but my hand is shaking. The serum will only last for a minute or two before the bird's energy will decrease twice as much as it had when it started. The bird soon looks near dead, eyes glazing, hopping raggedly around the cage. Surely Uncle Preston won't let the bird die, I think. It lasts for a few more seconds, the popping of the electricity shaking the frame of the small bird. Finally he stops the madness and turns off the generator. The bird slumps with relief, and so do I.

Uncle Preston collects my notes and tells me to return the bird to the menagerie. The menagerie is the big building in which we keep our collection of wild animals that we use for testing. When I carry the bird back, he doesn't even fight my hand any longer, just laying lifelessly in my palm. Once I release him back into his exhibit he flutters around, regaining himself.

My mood felt a little down for the rest of the day because of my disturbing encounter with the poor little bird. But I was glad to find out that I had passed. Whatever that proved. I went back to my room a lay on my bed, looking into the jungle. Three of my four walls are made of glass, so I have a clear view of the jungle around me.

The wild calls of the birds in the jungle echo through my highly enhanced ears, as do the sounds of monkeys, insects and all creatures imaginable. But along with the sounds of nature, I can hear the pulses of electricity coming from the tall fence surrounding our compound. Sometimes I wonder what it's like out there, in the jungle. What would it be like to climb a tree, or just run through the jungle, meeting all the creatures that create the noises that I live around.

But I know that's ridiculous. My home is here in Little Cam, and if I left, I'd have nowhere to go, and nobody to go to. I have no purpose, no reason for living outside of this lab. I mean, what could possibly be out in that jungle that's better than the facilities here in Little Cam?

I lay in my room as the sunlight started to fade away for the day. I had a small little stereo on my table that I used to listen to my music. It used to have something called radio installed with it, but Uncle Preston said that it wasn't necessary. Just a distraction. So he took out the cables that enabled 'radio'. Now it just a CD player that plays music. But I'm only allowed to have instrumental songs, no lyrics. Apparently that's more distraction. But I appreciate the little portion of music that I have. I've always had a connection with music for some reason, a reason unknown to me.

I fell asleep listening to my little bit of music, and the restless sounds of the jungle.

...

Though I had a somewhat peaceful night, I awoke to the sounds of yelling voices, trucks beeping, and the front gate being opened and closed. I slipped on a t-shirt and sweatpants and walked out of my room towards the main entrance of Little Cam. Today must be a delivery day.

Every few months we have delivery days where lots of food, medicines, and other items are brought to us. These products come from the outside world, which I know little to nothing about. Uncle Preston told me the outside world is knowledge restricted to me. He says there are other people out there that will take advantage of my immortality and lock me up forever. Though the thought scares me, I still have a slight curiosity for what exactly lies beyond the fence surrounding our compound.

As I looked at what was being delivered to us, I noticed that a lot of it belonged to me. I had been so caught up with my own thoughts, I had nearly forgotten that tomorrow was my seventeenth birthday. Of course I never really grow older, but ever since I've learned about birthdays, I've wanted to have one. This will be my first birthday party. Uncle Preston asked where I heard of birthdays, and I told him that I read it in my dictionary.

_Birthday-the annual anniversary of which the day a person was born, typically treated as a celebration with present-giving._

Anyway, I saw my party dress being unloaded from a box, and it was stunning. All sorts of snack foods and candies I had never seen were also being unloaded. A younger woman, looking about in her late twenties or very early thirties, with many suitcases got out of one of the trucks and started asking where she would be staying. Staying?

I walked over to Uncle Antonio and asked why she looked as if she was moving in. All the people were surrounding her and asking her questions. Smiling, laughing, shaking hands. I don't know, something about her irked me.

"She's replacing Aunt Sandra here in Little Cam. She's our newest employee." Uncle Antonio explained.

I never really knew Aunt Sandra, so that part didn't bother me so much as everyone was focused on the new lady.

"Well I don't like her." I stated.

"Looks like somebody's a little jealous, eh Chipmunk?" He chuckled, scratching his long beard. Uncle Antonio has always been the only one that has never called me 'perfect', like everyone else. He just calls me Chipmunk for whatever reason. But it doesn't bother me that much. Uncle Antonio is probably my favorite person here in Little Cam. He has always treated me as more of a friend than a science experiment.

"I'm not jealous!" I reply sharply.

"I think you are." He continued to laugh. "You are always the center of attention here, and now Dr. Fires is."

"That's her name?" I asked.

"Hannah Fires. She will actually be kind of like a close personal assistant to you for a little while." He told me.

"Well I don't need any help." I pouted.

"Just go talk to her, I'll bet you'll like more than you think." Uncle Antonio said.

I've always trusted him before, and he has always told me the truth, so I listened to his advice. After a little small talk with Dr. Fires, she really didn't seem that bad, but something in me just didn't like her that much. Maybe I was jealous.

I spent the rest of the day doing my own random tasks. Because of my birthday party taking place tomorrow, I got to have a free day. I swam in our pool for little while, cleaned up a little, listened to a bit of music.

By late afternoon, I had found myself just laying in my bed, looking at the canopy of trees around my walls. I closed my eyes, taking in all the sounds. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts though.

"May I come in Ally?" I heard Dr. Fires voice ask.

"I guess so." I sighed.

Dr. Fires walked slowly into my room, sitting down in a chair next to my bed.  
She looks at me as if expecting me to say something, but I'm waiting for her to speak up.

"Okay, I know you may not like me intruding into your home, and suddenly becoming a part of this team. But I came here to get to know you and the things you study here." She starts off finally.

I continue to look at her silently, hoping she'll just leave. I'd rather sit alone in my room, listening to the noise.

"How bout you just start off by telling me some things about yourself." She suggests.

Knowing that she's not going to leave without an answer, I speak up. I tell her about my studies to be on the Immortis team, the Wickham tests, all my aunts and uncles here in Little Cam. They aren't really my aunts and uncles, but I was raised to call them that and treat them like family.

Dr. Fires listens to me talk, laughing at certain things, commenting on others, and soon I find myself talking about personal things like my thoughts on Little Cam and immortality and my curiosity of the outside world. Somehow I automatically felt as if I could talk to her openly. She even told me a few things about the outside world that I know I'm not supposed to know. She is from a place called Chicago. I found myself longing for more information from the outside world. It all seems so fascinating to me because I've never seen or heard of any of it. Maybe Dr. Fires wasn't such a bad woman after all.

"What else is out there?" I ask.

"Hey, I think you've obtained enough illegal information for the day. I don't think Dr. Preston would approve of this anyway, lets just keep it between us." She smiles.

I nodded, but I wanted so desperately to hear more.

"I'll see you at the party tomorrow Ally." She said as she left the room.

...

The next day I was getting ready for my first ever birthday party. I had my dress on, and my hair curled slightly. As I walked around, people were greeting me, admiring my dress, and handing me gifts. I was told not to open the gifts until later so I kept them on a table.

Once the party started, I danced, mingled, and ate food. They had brought a new candy to me that looked familiar, but I was told that I hadn't had them before. They were small round colorful candies with a letter 'S' marked on them. I've had ones that exactly the same, just with an 'M', so I expected it to be chocolatey. But it was tangy and fruity and I loved it. Mother said they were called Skittles.

Late into the party hours, a lot of the people had had more drinks than they should, and everyone was lost in the music, still laughing and dancing, having a good time. But then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. All these smiling laughing faces are going to die one day. But I'm not. I'll have to watch my own parents, friends and relatives die, but I'll be this age forever. Suddenly the mood of my party turns down about ten notches. I make my way to the punch table to make it look like I'm getting something to drink, but I sneak away to the outdoor area where no one is at, and slump to the ground against a tree.

Why do I have to be immortal? I don't really want it. But it wasn't my choice. Now I have to watch the death of everyone. There's no escaping it, cause I'll be here forever. I let tears slip from my eyes and they fall to the grass. As I cry I hear a loud purring noise. It's Duma. Duma is my jaguar. That may seem weird, but there's only so many choices for a pet in the jungle. We rescued Duma when he was a baby, he had ran into the electric fence. The others were going to use him for experimentation, but I wouldn't let them. Duma was mine, and he isn't allowed to be tested on. Now he acts perfectly tame, like a dog or a cat. Though he's really protective of me, and doesn't really prefer to be around, or be nice to, anyone but me.

He purrs and rubs against my side. I stroke him softly, wiping my away a few of my tears. "Thanks Duma, you're always there for me." I say to him. But I know he will leave me one day as well, being mortal and all.

In the midst of my depressing thoughts I hear a knock, then a voice. "Hey, there you are."

It's Dr. Fires. She groans as she yanks off her heels and then plops down next to me. "I don't know what idiot decided we had to choose between beauty and comfort, but I'd like to drive this heel through his eye." She complains.

"What are you doing here?" I ask a little roughly. I'm not in the best mood.

"Hey, easy. I just want to give you your present." I notice the small package she's holding.

"Oh yeah. Presents." I huffed. "What is it?"

"Good lord, child, just open it, will you? Before someone finds us." She answers.

"Why? Is it secret?" I ask curiously.

She bites her lip before answering. "Yes...of sorts. That is, you probably wouldn't want your old Uncle Preston finding you with it."

That catches my interest. The package is wrapped with plain white paper and tied with string, and it only takes a few seconds to unwrap. Inside is a large piece of paper that's been folded many times over. "What is it?" I ask again.

"Better not unfold it here; it takes hours to get it back down to that size. And whatever you do, don't open it front of anyone. I'll lose my contract, my career, and my pretty salary if that gets traced back to me. So my life is pretty much in your hands, missy. I'll thank you not to throw in into the nearest trash bin." Dr. Fires explains.

I smile and thank her, even though I have no idea what it is yet.

"Hey, just get back to your party and look at it later. But for now, hide it. Hide it well." She tells me.

I slip it down into the front of my dress and nod at Dr. Fires.

"Good girl." She laughs.

...

Hours later the party finally ends and I lock myself in my room. The paper in my dress seems to burn through my skin and I can't wait to open it. I turn on a small lamp by my bed and kneel on the floor, pulling the paper from my dress. Duma lays in the corner, completely uninterested. As I start unfolding the paper, my heart begins to race. Could it be...?  
_It is._

I gasp and rise to my feet, staring wide-eyes at the paper. It's so large it seems to cover most of my floor. This could get me and Dr. Fires in more than just trouble. I don't know what Uncle Preston would do if he found out, but I know it'd be awful. I still can't believe my eyes.

"It's a map of the world, Duma." I whisper.

I've never seen one before. There's not a single map in all of Little Cam that isn't locked away from my view, except for the one hanging in the maintenance building, but it just shows the area inside the fence.

This map shows continents and oceans and countries and mountains, an entire world. The world._ My world_. My fingers trace the outline of land masses. Europe. Africa. Australia. Asia. Beautiful names, mysterious names. I know there must be millions of other words behind those names-people, places, stories.

I'm overwhelmed by a strange new thirst, as if I've been dehydrated my whole life and am only now starting to realize it. With all my heart and soul I long to know the words and names and stories, to know everything. I want to leave right now, this very minute, and scour every inch of this map with my own eyes, to feel the soil and trees with my own hands and taste the air of every corner of the planet.

I wonder where I am right now. Little Cam wouldn't be marked. Uncle Preston would never allow that. My eyes sift through the names that are there. New Guinea. Sudan. India. Alaska. More oceans and seas than I can count. There are dozens, no, scores of areas outlined in black. Cities? Countries? I want to run through Little Cam screaming for Dr. Fires to come and teach me.

Looking at the map, I'm struck by how little I know. Which is alarming, because I feel like I've learned so much. I can quote the periodic table backwards. Show me an animal and I can tell you it's kingdom, species, and everything in between. I know the name of every plant in the rainforest and how they can be used. Give me a disease, I'll tell you how to treat it. But ask me to name five countries and I draw a blank. I can point to the west, but I don't know what ocean lies in that direction or how far away it is. I know what lions and kangaroos and grizzly bears are, but I don't know where they live.

The more I learn about the world, the less I seem to know. My eyes then catch letters that I can tell were written in with a pen in Dr. Fires' handwriting. I have to squint to see it, its so small. _Little Cambridge, Amazon._

My stomach twists; it feels like a flock of butterflies are trying to flutter up my throat and out my mouth. Little Cam. My Little Cam. It's little. Very little. Surely that's not Little Cam. It's far too small. In comparison to rest of this map, Little Cam hardly makes a spec. I look around fitting together names and places.  
_Amazon rainforest, South America. _  
That's where I am.

I study the map a little longer, then I begin to hear voices around my door. I crumple the map, not bothering to fold it back, and shove it under my bed, and unlock my door. If they try the door and it's locked, they'll get suspicious. I'm glad that at least one wall is not made of glass. A few people walk in and wish me a happy birthday before going to bed.

After I'm sure everyone's asleep, I close my door again. I keep thinking about the map and exactly how much actually exists beyond that fence surrounding Little Cam. My curiosity of the outside triples of what it had been. I stare hard out of my room towards the fence, my eyes scanning the outside in hopes that I can get a feel for what's out there.

That's when I see the unmistakeable hole in the fence.

...

**So there's the very first chapter! Like it? Hate it? I wanna know! The only way for me to get better is for you to tell me what you think needs improvement. Constructive criticism is one of the best things to receive as a writer. Whatever opinion you have on my story, tell me, cause I can take it. The next chapter won't be that long. I just wanted you to get interested right at the first chapter and that seemed like the best place to leave you hanging. Sorry ;). Be sure to review and hopefully I'll see you at chapter two! :D :D :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm back with chapter two of my newest story Origin! I extremely appreciate all the reviews, faves, follows, PM's, and comments you have given me so far! I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you! Keep reading and reviewing!**

**...**

A medium sized ceiba tree has fallen from its stand several yards outside the fence. It fell toward the rainforest, and I can see where it's roots were yanked out of the ground. The chain link was buried at least a foot into the earth, but where the roots have been pulled up, the fence has come with them. Beneath the mangled chain link is an opening about three feet wide and two feet tall. It's nearly invisible behind the greenery that grows along the fence, but from my vantage point I can just see it.

Hardly believing my own movements, I rise to my feet and get my flashlight from the to drawer of the dresser. I keep it there for the times when a storm puts out the electricity until Preston can get the generators running again.

"Come, Duma."

_What's gotten into you_? I ask myself as I tiptoe down the hallway. I see dark windows, indicating that everyone in Little Cam is sound asleep. Everyone but the guards that is. Holding my breath, not daring to stop and consider the consequences of this mad course of action, I open the front door and slip outside. The night is cool and the air is so crisp it makes my senses as acute as Duma's. As if encouraging my madness, shadows cling to us and cover our trail. I don't need the flashlight yet. I know every of Little Cam as well as I know my own reflection.

It doesn't take long to circle the building, though I go slowly, watching every shadow for signs of my mother or Uncle Preston. Everything is quiet; I hear nothing but the wind in the trees and the constant humming of cicadas, which I am so used to that I only hear it when I think about it directly.

Once behind the house, I kneel at the hole in he fence and push the heavy leaves of the greenery aside. The gap is still there; a part of me had hoped it was just a trick of my mind. But it's there, and, as terrified as I am, I'm not stopping now. I've never wanted anything in my life as badly as I want to be on the other side of the fence. It shouldn't be like this, I know. I lack nothing in Little Cam. In the jungle there's only darkness; I don't know what I think I'll find in the trees and leaves.

Hesitating, feeling the dampness of the ground through my dress, I fight the impulse. But it's strong, stronger than it's ever been before. _Go! Go! Go! _my heart screams at me, low and steady and irresistible. It is the thrashing of a wild, savage inner demon I never knew I had inside me. It's another Ally. Wild Ally.

As if spurning my hesitance, Duma suddenly darts forward and slips through the hole, not a single hair touching the fence. He stood on the other side and turns to watch me with moonlike eyes. Duma paces back and forth, urging me with his yellow gaze to follow. _Go now or lose your chance forever, _Wild Ally's voice whispers in my head. She frightens me with her fierceness, but I obey.

Once I'm on the other side, I brush the dirt and leaves off of me and stand up. I pick up my flashlight and turn to face the jungle. Beside me, Duma roars.

"Shh!" I clamp my hand over his muzzle, and he shakes his head irritably before bounding a few steps forward. With the jaguar to guide me, I start for the trees.

I have only gone a dozen steps when Little Cam disappears behind me and a wave of dizziness and breathlessness drives me to my knees. I cling to the jaguar and fight the stars that dance tauntingly in my vision. _What are you doing, oh, what have you done? They'll find you, they'll catch you, you stupid, stupid girl! _I stand and turn around, ready to go back, finished with escape and madness and the dark. But I don't take a step. I stand there, eyes wide, flashlight aimed at the ground, just breathing.

After a few minutes, I feel my nerves calm. Turning again toward the trees, forcing my feet forward, I tell myself, Only an hour. No more. Back in one hour, and I'll tell someone about the fence. They'll fix it, and I'll never be tempted again.

I try to focus on the beauty around me. I can only see what my flashlight falls on, but that is enough to take my breath away. Flowers as big as my head blossom full beneath the moon, whose faint light is rare this close to the jungle's floor. I see plants with leaves the size of umbrellas, their tops thick and smooth, the bottoms laced with red veins.

The jungle enchants me. I'm unable to turn around and go back. Every sound, every glimpse is a breath of sweet, fresh air. Instead of filling me up, the rainforest empties me, leaving me thirsty for more. The more I see, the more I want. My nerves and will are stronger now, my fear is less. I am committed. Little Cam is out of my reach, so whatever is happening there, I cannot stop. If they've already discovered my absence, so be it. Uncle Preston can't forbid what's already been done.

Flooded with this conviction, the last of my inhibitions flee, and I quicken my pace. Soon I am nearly jogging, my razor-sharp reflexes preventing me from tripping over the numerous roots and rocks abounding across the jungle floor. There's too much, I can't take it all in. But I keep trying. My eyes hardly blink, they're so intent on seeing every detail. My ears fill with sounds that, though I've heard them my entire life, suddenly feel new and exciting. Even the scents of the jungle are stronger out here. Moist soil, ripe fruit, flowers, water, and a faint, woody smell like smoke.

_The outside! _I've done it! I found a way out and I took it, and I only looked back once. I have never realized how much I wanted this until now. _Freedom_. It's as intoxicating as any drug, a rush of adrenaline throughout my body. Wild Ally and Timid Ally merge; fear is overwhelmed by exhilaration. I am one. I am whole. I am free.

I am so captivated by the emotions inside me, that I don't even see the boy until we collide.

...

**So there's chapter two! Sorry, that was kinda short, but I decided to leave you on a cliffy. Reviews are greatly appreciated whether good or bad! Tell me what you think! Until next time! :D :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I took a while to update! I've been really busy and it's hard to find time to write. But don't worry, since I made you wait a while, I made the chapter extra long to make up for it. I hope you enjoy! Read & Review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All story rights go to Jessica Khoury. **

He yells. I yell. We both hit the ground, him on his back and me landing smack on top of him. For a moment, all we can do is stare, astonished at one another. His eyes were wide, and startlingly colorful. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, like Duma's hackles.

A boy.

Our noses are inches apart. I feel very warm from head to toe, and my abdomen clenches as If I swallowed one of those torches from my party.

A _boy_.

I have never seen such _beautiful_ eyes. They were hazel-brown, yet they had flecks of blue and green and yellow. It's as if his eyes reflected every color in the jungle.

I bolt upright, every muscle tense and alarmed, ready to flee in a heartbeat, as Duma springs from midair and lands on top of the boy, pinning him to the ground. The boy is chattering away in a strange language that's nothing like English, but when he sees the jaguar's fangs inches from his nose, he falls silent.

"Who are you?" I demand, my voice shaking.

He's still gaping at the jaguar when I shine the flashlight right in his face, and winces and holds up a hand between himself and Duma, as if that could protect him if Duma decided to bite.

"Jaguar," he gasps. "You have a jaguar!"

"I asked who you are!" I hold my flashlight with both hands, angled at him like a gun.

The boy, still holding up his hand and never taking his eyes from Duma, replies, "Call away the cat, and I will tell you."

I hesitate a moment, then call for Duma. He hisses, spraying spit across the boy's face, then slips to my side.

The boy climbs to his feet, keeping a watchful eye on the jaguar. "My name is Austin. Who are you?"

"Ally." I take a step back as he reaches his full height, my flashlight still aimed at his face. "What do you want with me? Where-where are you from?"

"You're the one who crashed into _me_." He is taller than me, and though he is thin, he is very muscular. I can tell because he's half-naked. He's wearing khaki shorts and necklace which holds a jaguar carved into jade, but nothing else, not even shoes. His skin is fairly tan, probably from spending many days in the jungle under the hot sun. His hair is as blonde as the light of the sun itself, and thick with tangles. There is something vaguely familiar about his face, but I can't think of what it is. That's very disconcerting for me, since I forget nothing. If I had seen this boy before, I would remember it. And not just because my memory is perfect. I'd remember those eyes, that sculpted chest...the definition of his abdomen...

I snap my eyes back up to his face, whipping my thoughts back into line. My initial fear gives way to anger. "What are you doing out here anyway? It's the middle of the night. Where are your clothes?"

He replies, remarkably calmly, "You've wandered far from your cage Ally bird."

"What?" I ask blankly.

"The dress," he says, nodding at it. "It makes you look like a bird. The kind we Ai'oa like to keep on our shoulders. But that's not a good thing to be running around the jungle in."

I look down at my torn dress. "It's my birthday." Furious, I glare at him, refusing to let him distract me. Again. "Ai'oa? What is that?"

He presses a hand to his bare chest. "We are a _who_, not a what."

"Are you native?"

"I'm Ai'oan. Only the scientists call us natives." He cocks his he'd curiously. "Are you a scientist? I think you must be, because you are from the Little Cam village."

"No. Yes. I mean, I will be one soon. How do you know where I'm from? Have you been to Little Cam?" Fear had turned to anger, but my anger now transforms into fascination. I've never spoken with anyone outside of Little Cam. Dr. Fires doesn't count because she's part of Little Cam now too.

"I've seen it," he says, "but only from the trees. I've seen you too. It is no place for the Ai'oa. Kapukiri says there's evil in the village of the scientists."

"Little Cam isn't evil," I reply, bristling. "What do you know about it?"

"Only why Kapukiri says." He kneels and stares curiously at Duma. "He obeys your command and follows where you go. Incredible. Truly, you are blessed to have such a companion."

His words soften me, and I warm a little. "Is your village close?"

Austin's eyes narrow suspiciously. "Why? What do you want with Ai'oa?"

"I want to see it," I say on a whim. "Show it to me.

"I don't know..." He frowns.

"That smoke I smell, is it from Ai'oa?" I close my eyes and breathe deeply. "It's coming from...that direction." I open my eye and follow the scent. When I look back, Austin is staring at me with wide eyes.

"You..." He runs to catch up with me. "You can smell it from here?"

"Ah..." I swallow and backpedal a bit. "Well can't you?"

Uncertainty plays openly across his face. But he throws the thought aside and goes back to my previous suggestion. "I guess I can show you my village...if you promise not to wake everyone."

"I swear."

"Well...okay." He still seems uneasy. I take it that visitors aren't often invited to Ai'oa.

I follow him over fallen logs made soft with mosses and under low-hanging vines and limbs. I wonder how he'll see where he's going, but he seems to feel his way rather than see it. I thought I moved silently through the jungle, but Austin seems to float over the ground rather than walk on it. He moves as sinuously as a snake and as lightly as a butterfly. Duma stays between us at all times, showing his mistrust in his hackles and rigid tail.

Before long I smell smoke, then I see the fires from which it comes. They burn low, more embers than flames, several dozens of them. Around the fires are huts made of four poles and thatched with palm leaves. They have no walls. When we reach the edge of the village, Austin stops me.

"They're sleeping. It's never good to wake what is sleeping. Stay here and look, but don't wake them." He tells me in a hushed tone.

"You're awake." I point out.

"I couldn't sleep. I heard a jaguar and went looking for it." He looks down at Duma.

I remember Duma's roar as we escaped through the fence. "Why try to hunt jaguars? It seems to me like they'd end up hunting you."

Austin sits on a mossy rock, arms crossed over his bare chest. "I don't want to catch one! I just want to see it. It's a powerful sign, the glimpse of a jaguar."

"I see a jaguar every day," I say, reaching down to rub Duma's ears.

"It's a thing unheard of." He shakes his head. "In the jungle, the jaguar is king. He follows no one but himself, and we Ai'oans fear and respect him and call him guardian."

"Duma's just a big baby really." I say, continuing to rub him.

Austin gives a short laugh. "Of course. That's why he tried to bite the nose off my face!"

I just rolled my eyes and changed the subject. "How do you know English? Uncle Preston told me that natives were ignorant about everything outside their villages."

"I'm not ignorant," Austin objects. "It is you who are ignorant, Ally bird. My father taught me English."

"Your father?" I question.

"He is a scientist like you, in Little Cam." He admits.

"Really?!" I blink and stare at him with astonishment. _Well, well, someone's been hiding a really big secret..._"Who is it? What's his name?" I think of all the scientists, wondering who it could be.

"To me, he is only Papi. He comes and teaches me English, math and writing." He tells me.

"Well what does he look like?" I ask, now suddenly very curious about this boy and his village.

Austin shrugs. "Ugly, like all scientists."

I frown. "You think _I'm_ ugly?"

"Of course." He says, staring towards his village.

I feel my face flush with anger. "That's the meanest thing anyone has ever said to me! I'm not ugly! I'm..." I look down at muddy, bedraggled dress, and my voice falls to an embarrassed whisper. "I'm perfect."

"Perfect? Is that why you're running around in the jungle, as lost as a lion in the rainforest, in a dress that has seen much better days?" He asks with a smirk.

"I-it's my birthday...I wanted to see the jungle. I've never been outside Little Cam before. I wanted to feel what it was like to be outside, in the wild." I protested.

"Are you a prisoner, Ally bird?" He looks to me.

"No," I say, startled.

"Why have you never left, then?" He shoots back.

"I-they say it's dangerous. Anacondas." I lie, though it's not entirely false.

"Anacondas! I have killed an anaconda." He says, sitting up proudly.

"You have?" I wonder what it looked like, or how big it was.

"Yes. It was as long as I am tall, and I made its skin into a belt for Papi." Austin explains.

"I have only seen an anaconda once. But it was young, and dead. Uncle Timothy shot it with a gun." I say, remembering the event.

"With a gun?" He says, frowning a little.

"Of course with a gun!" I say, shocked.

"I don't like guns. I hunt with a dart and spear and arrow. These are silent and won't scare away your prey like a stupid gun." He argues.

As I look around, the night has grown much darker. "I should go back now." It's been much, much longer than an hour. My delirious rush of adrenaline leaves me weary and nervous. I want to get back, to change and shower before my absence is noticed. If it hasn't been noticed already.

"I will take you back." Austin announces, rising to his feet.

"I can find the way." I say.

"I will take you back," he repeats in a firmer tone. "It's not good for a woman to walk alone in the jungle without a man to protect her."

_He thinks I am a woman. _I stand a little taller. "Well, all right. If you want."

As we walk, he begins telling me all the names of the plants we pass. I already know their names, but I don't tell him that. He seems to think that scientists always want to know the names of things, and so I guess he thinks he's being helpful. Anyway, I like listening to his voice. It's deep and a little hoarse, as if he's been yelling all day, and he has a slight accent that makes every word sound new and exciting, as if he's speaking another language I don't have to strain to understand.

"Here is annatto, for repelling insects and curing snake bites. The girls say it makes a love potion, but I don't believe them. They have all tried it on me, and I don't love any of them." He explains.

I stay quiet, listening to his words and stories as he continues.

"Look, here is suma. It helps the blood and muscles and the memory, very good to eat. Over there is Curare. We use it to poison our arrows. It is a strong poison, but not as strong as _yresa_."

Unlike the others, that name is unfamiliar. "What's _yresa_?"

"There is none here. In all of the world, there is only one place where the yresa grows." Austin frowns. "That place was very sacred to the Ai'oa, but we cannot go there anymore. The scientists forbid it with their guns."

I now have a feeling I know what this yresa is, but I don't say so. There is no warmth in Austin's voice when he talk about the scientists taking the flowers away from his people, and I don't want him to think that it was my decision. For some reason, I want this strange, wild boy to think better of me than that.

I watch his every move with fascination. Questions surge to my lips, batter at my teeth. I want to know everything about him. Where does he sleep? What does he eat? Has he been to a city? Does he have friends? But I feel unusually shy and don't know what to say. Or even how to say it. In just the minutes I've known him, he's shown himself to be entirely different from anyone in Little Cam.

"Look," Austin says, stopping by a tall, slender tree. "Know what this is?"

I tap the bark. I examine it and think quickly through the names and species I know to find the right one. "_Mauritia flexuosa_."

"No." He looks at me like I'm crazy. "It's aguaje."

"That's what I said. I just used the formal categorization." I retorted.

He shakes his head. "Wait here. I'll get you some."

Before I can say a word, Austin grabs the branch of a different tree and hauls himself up. Within seconds, he's twenty feet in the air and still climbing. I watch him with wide eyes, waiting for him to slip at any moment and crash to the ground.

Soon he's lost to sight, hidden by leaves. I stare for a long minute and start to wonder if he changed his mind about walking me home and just abandoned me in the middle of the jungle. Then I hear a rustle and shout behind me, and I whirl to see him sliding to the ground on a thick vine. He lands slightly, knees bent, with a string of aguaje draped over his shoulder.

With a smile that can only be described as cocky, he deftly skins the fruit and hands it to me. I discover that I'm grinning like an idiot. "Thanks, I guess." I say. The fruit is mildly tangy, not my favorite of local produce, but what can I say when the boy climbed a hundred feet to pick it? "Aren't you going to eat some too?"

He laughs. "No! Aguaje is for girls. If a man eats too much of it, he starts to look like a woman."

"That's the most unscientific thing I've ever heard." I say, shaking my head.

"Then you haven't met my cousin Jacari." Austin swings the string of fruit back and forth. "Too much aguaje. Now the mothers use him as a wet nurse."

My mouth freezes mid-bite, and I stare at him. "You're teasing me."

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe."

I throw the aguaje pit at him, and he laughs again and catches it. His laughter is infectious. I can't stop smiling. Everything he does, each movement, each word, is so vivid and strange. I feel like I've discovered some fascinating new species.

He picks another aguaje from the vine and tosses it up and down, watching me with his head tilted and his eyes curious. "How old are you?" He asks me.

"Seventeen. How old are you?"

"Almost eighteen."

"Do you have brothers and sisters?" I've always been enchanted by the idea of siblings. As a rule, members of my family tree could never have more than one child, for the sake of population control-though that rule had backfired on them when the Accident happened.

"Not by blood." He says. "But by heart."

"What does that mean? If not by blood, then they're not really siblings." I tell him.

He frowns and catches the aguaje again, rubbing his thumb over its scaly skin. "Shows what you know about family."

"I've spent months of my life studying genetics." I say. "I think I know all there is to know about family."

"Genetics." Austin repeats thoughtfully.

"It's the study of-" I start.

"I know what it is." He cuts me off. "But that's just a part of what family is, at least in Ai'oa. And it's a very small part."

I open my mouth, and shut it again. My brain does a somersault and lands with its fists raised. "It's _everything_. My genetic heritage was handpicked, designed by the best scientists in the world-" I stop before I go too far and tell him what I really am.

Austin gives me a sad smile. "You really are a scientist. Whenever we contradict one of you, that wall comes up in your eyes. We have a word for it in Ai'oa. _Akangitá_. Head like a rock."

My mouth drops. "Head like a rock!" I clamp my jaw shut, whirl on my heel, and march off toward Little Cam in a huff. At first I hear nothing behind me, and I almost slow and stop, but then I hear Austin hurrying I catch up. I wipe the smile from my face before he sees it. He skips around me and blocks my path.

"Sorry. If it makes you feel better, everyone in Ai'oa calls me _Akangbytu_." He tells me.

"What does that mean?"

He thinks for a moment. "Head full of wind."

My indignation, already thin, shatters. I laugh. "Head full of wind! Perfect. How do you say mouth?"

"You would say _îuru_." He frowns. "Why?"

"So if I called you _Îurubytu_..." I trail off, letting him put the pieces together.

He gives me a dark look. "Mouth of wind. Ha ha. _Îurukay_."

"What's that?"

"I said you speak with fire, Ally bird. Your words scorch." He smirks.

I smile. "Tell me more."

As we walk, I name words, and Austin tells me their Ai'oan translation, which I file away in my memory. He is stunned by how quickly I remember things and how easily I string the words together into sentences.

"It took me years to speak English this well," he says. "You speak my language as if it were planted in your heart."

I smile and wonder if he can see the warmth in my cheeks. Suddenly the fence appears, and we're not far from the escape hole. I see the fallen ceiba tree only a few dozen yards to the right. The heat melts from my face. I wish I had walked slower.

"Thank you for walking me back," I say, because it feels like the right thing to do.

"Ally..." He looks down at his feet suddenly, seeming almost embarrassed. "I must tell you something. I told you a lie."

"You didn't kill an anaconda after all?" I tease.

"No!" He retorts indignantly. "I did kill the anaconda! I lied when I said you were ugly. It is not true. You..." He scrubs at his hair, and his discomfort makes me smile. "You are in fact very beautiful. More beautiful than any girl I know. Because I lied to you, I must give you a gift. It is the Ai'oan way. I took the truth away from you, now I must give something back." He extends his hand, and I see he is holding a flower. It is as big as both of my hands, a lovely pink and purple passionflower.

I stare at it as my heart tumbles over itself and my tongue ties itself up in knots.

"Will you come again?" He asks. "In the daytime? You are not like the other scientists, who come and try to bully us, showing off their guns and motorboats." He snorts. "If it wasn't for Ai'oa, your scientists wouldn't know half of what they know about this jungle. But you are...still young and not so ugly. I can teach you more of my language. And I can show you Ai'oa."

I swallow the shard of ice that's formed in my throat. "I...can't, Austin."

"What are you so afraid of?" He stares at me defiantly, his jungle eyes cutting right to my heart.

I repeat my promise to myself to never leave Little Cam again, but my thoughts get muddled, and all I can think of is the jade jaguar on Austin's necklace. "Okay...I will."

A slow smile spreads to his lips, revealing a row of beautiful white teeth. He takes the passionflower and tucks it into my hair, his eyes not leaving mine once. Then he leans down to Duma, sliding a hand down his back. "Farewell guardian."

He nods to me as he rises, and then he is gone, blending into the dappled night like smoke.

**Three chapters down, however many more to go. :P I really don't know how long this is going to end up being. I dont plan on it being hugely long, but anyway, do you have any comments? Reviews are life, so yeah, tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!**

**Also, follow me on twitter at livvyyygrace_R5 for story updates! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, first of all, I'm SOO sorry that I haven't updated this one in a long time. I've been very busy and my other story '2023' has been my main focus. You might've given up on this story by now, but I hope you stick around because since this is based on a book I recently read, I know it has good ending, and I enjoyed reading it. I'll admit it started off a little slow, and there's some scientific terms and stuff, but nothing too bad. It does get better I promise :)**

**Okay, Read & Review!**

**...**

I wake up the next morning, overwhelmed with head rush. Last night's adventure, though I'm awed and terrified that it happened at all, had left me giddy and lightheaded. It doesn't feel quite real, and if it weren't for the passionflower I hid in my nightstand drawer, I might dismiss the memory as a wild, vivid dream.

I was able to make it back inside the fence unnoticed last night. Everyone was asleep, and the guards were in front of the main entrance. It had taken me a while to fall asleep, considering the actions I had gone through with. But still, I wouldn't have gone back and traded the experience.

I remember I have to meet with Uncle Preston this morning to perform one of the most important tests in my immortality research. I get dressed and ready, unable to keep my eyes off of the jungle. Before leaving my room, I peek at the passionflower one more time, just to be sure it's still there. The sight of it sets butterflies loose in my stomach, and I wonder if it's because it came from the outside, or because Austin gave it to me.

I remember that Austin had told me that his father is a scientist in Little Cam. I was determined to figure out who was the secret father of a wild jungle boy, by today. I still had an hour, so I went to go see my dad in the A-labs building. Even though he was my own father, I had been raised to call him Uncle Will.

I open the door to his lab, but I accidentally hit him with door as it opens. He stumbles and falls backwards, bumping into a table. He immediately gives a wordless cry, spinning around frantically trying to catch the ant farm that's about to fall onto the floor. He manages to steady it until it's still again. Sweat beads his brow and I see he is shaking.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you or upset the ants-" I apologize.

"Not _just_ ants, child!" He peers into the terrarium, nearly feverish. "_Eciton burchellii. _Or at least they were _Eciton burchellii _before the experiments."

"Experiments?" I question.

Uncle Will chews his lip. He seems to be unwilling to talk about it, but I stare pointedly at him, waiting for an answer. "I...have been developing a formula, mainly with _Ilex paraguariensis_..."

"A steroid." I remark. I see some of the leaves scattered across the table.

"Yes. Sometimes it has no effect. Sometimes it makes subjects race in circles until they die from exhaustion. But this time..." His eyes are grim. "This time was different."

I look from him to the ants. They are large, but not freakishly big. I realize there are many, many more ants in there than I first thought. "_Eciton burchellii_ are army ants." I say. "Carnivorous, hunting in swarms."

He nods. "Just so. But there was a mistake. I cut my finger on a broken vial when I was making the formula. I thought I had cleaned it all up, but I found later that a drop of my blood had made it into the mixture." His voice trembles, and he continues hoarsely. "The ants...they have a thirst for human flesh. They have already attacked me once, but they only were able to get the tip of my finger before I closed the cage back off again." He shows me his stumpy finger.

His finger looks as if he dipped it in acid. Man-eating ants. Wow, that's quite the creation. But it makes my skin crawl so I change the topic as Uncle Will starts to clean off the observation table. "Uncle Will?"

"Hmm?"

"When was the first time you left Little Cam?" I ask curiously.

His forehead crinkles as he wipes down the rest of the table with a cloth. "I guess I was nine. I went out for an hour or two with Dr. Sato to collect spiders."

"Nine! _That_ young?" I sit up straight in indignation.

"Things were different then," he stops, his mouth contorting into a wince. "Before the Accident."

"So have you ever seen any of the people who live in the jungle?" I ask, trying to hide my smile.

"Natives?" He shrugs. "A few times. Why?"

"What are they like?"

"They keep to themselves, unless we're trading." He frowns. "Wait, I don't know if Preston wants me to tell you all this."

"Forget Uncle Preston." I say. "Tell me more."

He shakes his head guardedly. "I think I better not."

"Uncle Will-" I plead.

"Ally, please." His eyes scrunch. "Just go get on with your lessons."

I watch him silently as he sorts several plastic boxes of specimens, wondering if he ever dared to sneak out like I did. Would he even tell me if he did? No. He's too timid, too lost in his world of science. I can't even imagine him cheating at checkers, much less sneaking out of Little Cam. Maybe Uncle Will won't answer all of my questions...but I'm fairly certain now that Austin's not my brother. To my surprise, I realize I'm smiling.

I still have a little time before my meeting with Preston, so I go to the garden outside the labs. Duma is there, sprawled out in the grass. I wonder again who Austin's father could be. I've ruled out Uncle Will. It might not even be an actual scientist. It could be the janitor Clarence, or the guard Jacques for all I know. I decide I'll ask Austin next time I see him for a description of his Papi.

The next time is see him. When did I decide I was even going to see him again? The moment I swore I would? Why had I done that? I can't go back out there. Last night was dangerous enough.

_What are you so afraid of?_ I hear Austin's voice.

Maybe I'm afraid of Uncle Preston. Or Mother. Or even Uncle Antonio.

_What can they do to you? You, the girl who cannot bleed. _What _would_ they do? Take away what little freedom I have? It's not like they could lock me up or something. _Would they? _I shiver.

Why am I so obsessed with getting out into the jungle anyway? Maybe Austin was right. Maybe Little Cam is just a giant cage...

I decide that the jungle and the people from it are starting to poison my brain. I'm not letting this random adventurous side of me ruin everything I've worked for. I decide that I will not go back into the jungle. I will confess my wrongdoings to Uncle Preston and ask for forgiveness, and maybe he can offer a scientific solution to my sudden act of rebellion. Yes. That is what I will do. And everything will go back to the way it was. Back to normal.

...

I walk into Uncle Preston's lab and he motions me to sit in a chair across the room.

"Ally! You're just in time! I'm performing the experiment on Roosevelt." He tells me.

Roosevelt is a rat that we have here for the same types of testing that I get. He is an immortal rat. We are giving him elysia today. It is the one substance that an immortal isn't immune to. It is poisonous, and it will kill an immortal. But this is strange, because it is the same substance used to create immortality. But Uncle Preston has been working with a solution to make elysia non-toxic to immortals. Today, that is what we are testing. To see if he has finally discovered the secret to true immortality. If this experiment goes well, then that means very good things for my future as an immortal and as a scientist.

I feel strangely numb as Uncle Preston picks up a syringe filled with a clear liquid that must be elysia extract. He hesitates only a brief moment before he squirts one drop into Roosevelt's mouth. The rat's tiny jaws work rapidly as he tastes the elysia, and I watch with fascination. What must it taste like?

He sets the rat down on the table and he sniffs my fingers, then my mother's fingers, then the table, then starts trundling around like he usually does in his age. He seems completely unaffected by the elysia. Inside me, several knots of tension begin to relax. I almost feel my muscles giving individual sighs of relief. Truly immortal.

An uncharacteristic grin bursts onto Preston's face. "Would you look at that! The mortal rats, dozens and dozens of them, all died immediately! Not so much as a squeak. They just went, like a breeze out the window. But look at our Roosevelt! So much life. We've done it, Ally, my angel, my darling, my exquisitely perfect girl!" He grabs my hands and we spin in a circle.

Suddenly though, my mother stops us.  
Uncle Preston questions her and she points to the rat.

Roosevelt is lying on his side, his tiny body heaving as he gasps for air. His tongue hangs out, startlingly pink against his dark brown fur. His eyes are glassy. Preston turns white. He runs to the exam table and begins to yell and shake the rat.

"Stop yelling at him! It's not his fault!" I say grabbing Uncle Preston's arm.

"Get off of me, girl!" He shakes me away, pushing me to the floor.

I gasp at his sudden rage, as he continues to talk to the lifeless rat. He finally storms out of the room, knocking over countless items on the way. I walk back to Roosevelt. He lies on the table motionless. The fur around his muzzle and laws had turned a grayish-white. That's odd. I didn't know elysia did that to it's victims.

I walked back to my room trying to sort things out. Uncle Preston had scared me, the look in his eyes had been that of pure evil and rage when he pushed me to the ground. He was supposed to make things clearer for me, but now I'm more confused.

I decide I will go back into the jungle. And I'll go again. And again. And again. I keep going until the memory of Uncle Preston's eyes and Roosevelt's death are washed away by the cleansing rain of the jungle.

An hour after night falls, I am already on the other side of the fence.

**Thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear them :) Since I made you wait so long for this update there's a good chance I'll have chapter five up before the day is over. Reviews are greatly appreciated :)**


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